Dennis McGregor: Cover Artist

It all started when Dennis McGregor painted a small turtle hanging out on a barbed wire fence. Next to it, he painted a dove, and then he realized "Ah, turtle dove!" It took off from there. He began thinking of all the animal combinations he could: spider monkey, tiger shrimp, catfish and so on.

The series has taken McGregor three years to complete and has now found its home in a new book "You Stole My Name," which he is self-publishing through a fundraiser on Kickstarter. At first McGregor didn't realize that the images would become a book, but people really responded to them in a way that surprised him. People even began to suggest new ones, like tiger shark and horse fly. Some people didn't get it right away though, offering humorous suggestions such as monkey wrench or skunk cabbage—which could become a whole other series for McGregor.

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Dennis McGregor and his trusty sidekick

McGregor has been a staple in the Sisters—and greater Oregon—art community for the last 30 years, with his paintings gracing the posters for the Sister Folk Festival, the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show,Oregon Country Fair and many others. It is this new series, however, that he sees as a new phase— painting what he wants to paint and what he loves. As it turns out, others love it, too!

His recent Kickstarter has met its goal, which means McGregor's book, "You Stole My Name," will be in stores soon after the holidays.

You can still purchase his originals, prints and notecards from the series at kickstarter.com (just search Dennis McGregor and you'll find it) which he can get to you in time to find a home under your Christmas tree.

And who knows, maybe he'll keep going and we'll see a sequel in the future.